Vance notes “progress” in contacts with Iran and points to immediate nuclear inspections

The Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, noted this Monday “progress” in the contacts with Iran held in Switzerland until early Sunday morning, indicating that there is “a very good basis” for a final agreement, while pointing to immediate nuclear inspections in the Asian country.

“We have laid a very good foundation for a successful final agreement. The final agreement is the ‘house’. We have laid the foundation; we have not built the house, but we have laid a solid foundation to reach a good point for the American people,” he declared at a press conference from Burgenstock, the luxury resort where the United States and Iran met with mediation from Pakistan and Qatar.

In this sense, he indicated that the talks have allowed for “a lot of progress”, despite the fact that there is still work to be done in the nuclear and economic negotiations or in tasks in the Strait of Hormuz such as demining and the restoration of maritime traffic.

“A lot of progress has been made, but there is still work to do, and we are very committed to doing it exactly like this,” indicated the ‘number two’ of the White House, after his meeting with the Iranian delegation in Switzerland.

Within the framework of these contacts, the United States has highlighted that Iran will allow the return of nuclear inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), for the first time since the attack on February 28, in work that it has suggested will be immediate.

“Last night, around two in the morning, we tried to call some inspectors. As expected, at that time there were not many people answering the phone. But we believe that some of these conversations with the inspectors and with the IAEA could take place even today,” he detailed about the deadline for the reviews of the Iranian nuclear facilities, one of the elements included in the preliminary agreement signed by Washington and Tehran last week to cease hostilities and reopen the Hormuz crossing that must lead to negotiations with the deadline of 60 days for a broader final agreement that also contains commitments on nuclear matters.

Regarding the situation in Lebanon, where Israel continues its attacks and military presence, Vance has avoided pointing out the withdrawal of Israeli troops as a condition for establishing the final agreement, as Iran maintains, and has limited himself to indicating that both the security of Israel and the sovereignty of Lebanon matter.

“This is going to be an ongoing conversation. The Israelis have been very clear: they have no territorial intentions in southern Lebanon,” he admitted, indicating that the Shiite militia party Hezbollah represents a threat with the continuous launch of projectiles against northern Israel.

“We believe, of course, that it will require a lot of hard work, but we can reach a point where the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon are protected, the security of Israel is protected, and that is going to require some coordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces,” he stressed, to emphasize that a key element will also be for “the Iranians to contain Hezbollah.”

Regarding communication with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the American vice president has stressed continuous contacts with Israel and other partners in the area such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

“This is not an agreement that the United States is imposing on the region. It is an agreement that the region has desperately asked that the United States put in place,” he stressed.

FIRST CONTACTS AFTER SIGNING THE PRELIMINARY AGREEMENT

The first session of the negotiations for a definitive agreement between the United States and Iran has ended with a positive result according to all parties, after the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, who acts as mediator, has claimed the “success” of the summit and highlighted the “encouraging progress” to advance peace.

In a joint statement with Qatar, which also facilitates talks between Tehran and Washington, Pakistan stressed that the first session “has taken place in a positive atmosphere.” Among the specific issues, the parties agreed on a High Level Committee that will politically supervise the mediation and to which the main negotiators will report periodically.

Iran has appreciated these steps, although it has stressed that the ceasefire in Lebanon conditions progress in the negotiations for a final agreement, insisting that the basis of the talks is “commitment in exchange for commitment.”